Cuba is the largest, most varied and most beautiful of the Greater Antilles islands. It is long and narrow, extending approximately 1,260 km east-west in length; its width ranges from 193 km to 32 km. No point in the Island is more than 80 km from the sea. Cuba's territory, or the Cuban Archipelago, includes the Island of Youth (Isla de la Juventud) and several coastal islets and cays; Cuba is not just one island, but numerous: 4,195 keys and islands covers a land area of 110,861 km2
Cuba is bound by the Atlantic Ocean on the north and east, the Caribbean Sea on the south, and the mouth of the Gulf of México on the west. It is located a mere 144 km south of the continental United States and is separated from it by the Straits of Florida, it is 140 km from the Bahamas, 210 km from Cancun and 146 km from Jamaica. Numerous bays, peninsulas and coastal reefs give Cuba a shoreline of 5,500 km with more than 280 natural beaches.
Cuba, often called the "Pearl of the Antilles," has a subtropical trade wind climate, adequate rainfall, significant mineral resources, and vast areas of level fertile land suitable for mechanized farming.